The Bad Place
by Songstone
Summary: It was the spring after my twentieth birthday, and as soon as the small silver bell above the door rang and signaled another customer, my life suddenly became a whole lot more complicated. This man... LeeGaa AU.
1. My life in a nutshell

**The Bad Place**

**A stroy by Songstone**

**Songstone: . . . Well . . . I have no explanation for this one. It's been swimming around my mind for some time now, and I just now settled down to write it. This chapter actually didn't give me any trouble. I sat down in bed, started typing and just didn't stop. XD I got the title from a book I'm writing and I'm thinking of changing the name's of the people and maybe someone's gender in this fic so that I can have this story published. Wouldn't that be awesome?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter 1: My life, in a nutshell**

Konoha was a really lovely place to live. At least, in the the daytime. At night on the 'wrong side of town' there were some bad people wandering around. Drug dealers, theifs, and maybe even murderers. One could never tell.

But, among the 'bad people' slithering through the streets of Konoha, there was me. A small male, standing only five feet tall with hardly any muscle at all. I was also an unflattering color of white. I was constantly told that my skin color made me look sickly, but there really wasn't anything that I could do about that. It was just how I was. Besides, the ashen color of my skin made my hair stand out better. My hair was a rather odd color for Konoha since I had yet to see anyone else with hair like mine. It was a flaming red in color, swooping low to cover my forehead, a bit above my eyes. I had no eyebrows (No, I don't shave them off. I was born that way.), so my forehead looked a bit larger than it really was.

I had a bit more room on my forehead, so when I had turned sixteen, I had decided to get a tattoo. Instead of the rather unappealing and distubing imagry that I had seen on other people, I opted for something less than traditional. It's etched into my skin in red ink, permantly written over my left eye. It's a Japanese kanji meaning 'love.' It's a long story as to why I chose to give myself that tattoo, so I'll save that for later.

Another thing about me that earned me strange looks from people in town; My eyes. Actually, I found them to be my best feature, but other people didn't seem to think so. They were slanted up only slightly, the iris' a pale aqua-ish color, and they were surrounded by a thick line of black. I honestly looked like I had been punched and was recovering from black eyes, but that wasn't the case. The black around my eyes were rings that I had acquired from all of the sleepless nights that I spent out on the streets.

All right, I've spent enough time beating around the bush about _why_ I'm out on the street everynight when there is obvious danger. I might as well get it out.

To put it very bluntly, my profession is that of a prostitute.

It wasn't the most flattering choice of life, but it was all I had. I had run away from my home when I was twelve, away from my drunkard of a father but also abandoning my older siblings. I cared for them both dearly, but I just couldn't stand to be in the same house with that terrible man any longer. So, as a child I ended up as far away from my father's home as I could get and was sleeping huddled up on a park bench or on the playground. It was pathetic, I know, but it was my life at the time.

At least, until I met _him. _He was the one who was kind enought to let me stay in his home. Granted, his home was the top floor of a bar, but it beat sleeping out in the snow, let me tell you.

Jaraiya was a rather kind man despite his appearance and attitude around attractive women. He took care of me, fed me, clothed me and gave me a warm home to stay in. I was more than grateful and vowed to him that I would find some way to pay him back for all that he had done for me. He owned a well visited bar in what is considered the 'wrong side of town' and I would often help him out at nighttime, when the coustomers would start to arrive. But once it would start to get roudy, Jaraiya would always send me upstairs to bed, not wanting me to get into any trouble. I had a horrible temper and a very blunt way of speech, so he was always fearful that I would say something offensive to an intoxicated coustomer and get myself into a scrap.

All was well for me and Jaraiya, actually. We were very comfortable with our lives. The bar was successful and he was settled financially, so it seemed like there really wasn't anything to worry about. But of course, what kind of story would this be if I had ended up happily ever after? A very bland one, trust me.

When I was sixteen, another bar opened up further down the road from Jaraiya's and it was larger, held more variety and even had women dancers for the male customers. From then on, it just started to go downhill for our bar. The customers deserted us and business slowed down. Jaraiya mentioned that he was thinking of closing up and selling the bar to someone else who would want to make it an antique shop or something, and I just wasn't having that. I kicked and screamed and threw a fit, but I finally got the older man to keep his shop open though it was excruciatingly slow.

Then, that one day . . . One day was all it took. I was sweeping the bar just like I always did, when a tall, lanky man with jet black hair and a sicker color of skin than my own came slinking in from the streets. He ordered a bottle of beer and sat at the bar stool, drinking slowly. It was when I moved behind the bar counter to put away the broom and cleaning products that he noticed me. I can still remember his voice so well . . .

"Hey, kid. What's your name?" He watched me move with such piercing, golden eyes and I remember being a bit weirded out by him. He seemed so much older than I was, maybe around Jaraiya's age.

But, the Old Man (I had started calling Jaraiya that not long after I had arrived.) was always trying to pound some manners into me, so I cleared my throat and answered carefully.

"Gaara. My name's Gaara."

The older man watched me for a while longer, looking over his shoulder and then to both sides of himself. I think back now and I believe he was looking for Jaraiya, making sure that he wasn't anywhere near him. The Old Man had stepped out of the shop just then, so it was just me and that stranger in the bar. Finally, he looked back to me and smiled. It was so eerie that I got chills up and down my spine. I had never believed people when they said 'my hair stood up on end' but at that moment, I knew what they meant. It was just a very bad feeling of dread.

"How old are you, Gaara?"

"Sixteen."

His breath hissed in sharply, like he had been expecting another answer, but he only continued to smile that too-large-for-his-face smile at me, nodding. "I see. So, you're a big boy. You ever . . . you know . . . 'serviced' a customer before?" I had only stared at him blankly, wondering what he meant by 'servicing.' I worked at the bar and cleaned, surely he knew that since I had just been sweeping. But he only chuckled when I mentioned that to him. "No, kid. Like . . . in bed." Following that statement had been some very crude comments that I would like to leave out, but at last, he leaned back in the bar stool and pulled out his wallet. "Tell you what. I'll hand over the money for this drink, plus one hundred dollars for a good time." He winked at the end of his sentence, and I suppressed a shudder.

But when I saw the money thrust out in front of me, I blinked up at him, my mouth falling open slightly. "You . . . you would _pay_ for something like that?" I was horrified. The thought of using my body to get money was mortifying and it appalled me. But at the same time . . . I knew that Jaraiya was having trouble paying the rent for his bar and that he needed more customers. If people were willing to pay for something that I could give them then I would gladly do it! Just to help the Old Man.

That night, I found a new way of life. I realized that what I could do with someone in bed would earn me money. The stranger payed me extra money for a 'fabulous job' and I made a deal with him. If he were to come back to the bar every weekend and buy a beer, then I would preform for him again for the same price that he had payed me the first time. It was a bit degrading, but I had to think about what I was doing. The money I would be raising would help out Jaraiya! That was all that mattered to me.

But, when I offered the money to the Old Man, he of course inquired how I had earned so much since it was more than enough for the rent and even some groceries. When I let it slip what I had been doing, he couldn't believe it. He gaped at me for a long time and in a way that I thought his eyes were about to bug out, but at last he spoke, telling me that I shouldn't have let that man have his way with me. What happened after that was a very long and embarrassing discussion about my self respect and how I shouldn't do such improper things just because I felt that I was obligated to help out with the bills or something along those lines. I don't remember much since I wasn't paying attention through half of it. I had already made up my mind. This was helping out. I was being useful to the Old Man.

In the coming months, business picked up a bit more, some of that stranger's friends coming to the bar to seek me out. But I always had one condition; Whoever wanted to get with me had to buy a beer or whatever beverage they wanted from Jaraiya so that I wasn't the only one with the money.

This routine soon became normal though Jaraiya never accepted it and I knew that he was dissappointed in me. That fact alone made me want to sob. The man who had been so kind to me and who had treated me like his own son wasn't pleased with the way I chose to help him out. But it was all I could do for him. And I was making generous amounts of money, so it was working out rather well.

Of course, there were the times that I would be lying in bed after the last 'customer' had left my room and I would just feel so insanely dirty and disgusted with myself. How could I be doing this to myself? I would often wonder that, though I already knew why I _had_ to keep on doing what I was doing. If I wanted to stay with the Old Man and keep our bar/house then I needed to make money for the rent. It was as simple as that and it got rid of all the doubts that I would sometimes get.

I wasn't happy with my life, but I was content. Jaraiya and I were settled again. Business was picking up more and more for him and for me, so we were slowly but surely catching up on the rent and buying whatever we needed. I was pleased, actually. Pleased with myself for helping out as much as I had been and for my idea to start doing what I now did. As said before, it wasn't the most flattering life, but it was all I had.

And I was more than happy to keep it the way it was. But . . . that was before _He_ came walking into the bar. It was the spring after my twentieth birthday, and as soon as the small silver bell above the door rang and signaled another customer, my life suddenly became a whole lot more complicated.

**Songstone: Okay, by a show of hands, how many people would read a book like this in real life? I'm going to go ahead and just change Gaara's gender and name (appearance too, of course!) and mix things up a bit. Then maybe if I ever finish this fic, my book will get done too. XD Wish me luck guys! Tell me what you thought of my story! **

**P.S. The guy that propositioned Gaara first was Orochimaru in case I didn't do a good job at discribing him. XD**

** P.P.S: I had to repost this because I got kicked out of my old account. I hope that you guys could please, please review and tell me what you think. I hope you enjoy this story the second time around.**


	2. Rejection is a beach

**The Bad Place**

**A story by Songstone**

**Songstone: You know . . . I don't think that I've ever had a story that flows so easily . . . **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Chapter 2: Rejection is a beach**

After working like I had for the past five years, I had stopped being intimidated by other men. I would move among them, pick fights with them, but I would mostly just service them.

I never enjoyed myself when I was with another man and I had never looked at another person with lust before. Usually, it was vice versa. People watched me move around the bar with lustful eyes, some being bold and reaching out to grab and pinch me on my backside or pull me down to sit in their laps. It was embarrassing to have it happen in front of Jaraiya because he would give me dissapointed looks or just shake his head. I hated that he was ashamed of what I did, but I just couldn't stop. It was my job.

I had just come downstairs after taking care of a coustomer and was sitting on the barstool, sipping at the root beer float that Jaraiya had set down in front of me when I heard the silver bell ring. It was like an alarm saying to both me and the Old Man that we had a coustomer. Looking up to see who had entered the bar, I felt my heart skip a beat and let the straw in the glass slip out of my mouth.

The man in the doorway slowly stepped into the light of the bar, walking right up to the counter and stealing a seat directly besides myself. He had black hair cut into a perfect bowl shape around his head. His eyes, round and large, were on the list of drinks behind the Old Man and as I risked a look in his direction, I saw that they were also a pitch black in color. Beneath his bangs and just above his eyes, I saw his that his eyebrows were in a thick shape, and that they matched his hair color and blended together perfectly. His skin color was darker than mine, like most everyone's was, and as my eyes slowly travelled down from his face, I saw some strange lacerations making trails over rather muscular arms.

He was dressed simply, with blue jeans and a white, short sleeved shirt. His shoes, as I inspected them, were old and worn, having some holes on the side. Obviously, he wore them a lot or they were insanely old. Either way, they were dirty and cheap looking.

I hadn't noticed that I was staring at this man with my mouth agape, but when he turned his head and blinked at me, I quickly righted myself and turned back to look down at the glass between my hands.

I didn't understand why my heart was beating so quickly and why my palms were suddenly sweaty. I was nervous. Why was I nervous? I was _never_ nervous! I was never intimidated around other men. In fact, I pretty much had my coustomer's wrapped around my little finger. And yet, here I was, worried about what this guy thought about me. Did he see me as a . . . Whore? Slut? The names had stopped hurting long ago, but I honestly didn't like to be called such things. It stung me horribly though I would refuse to cry. Instead, I ended up fuming, becoming angry and often throwing a fit.

"What are you drinking?"

The sudden question made me jump and look back up at the stranger. He was watching me, fixing those two coal orbs on me and me alone. I suddenly felt very vulnerable and weak. I was pinned in my seat, holding the cool glass between my hands a bit tighter than needed, sputtering a bit before I took a breath to form words. "A, uhm, r-root beer float . . ." I informed the taller man, feeling how my face heated up just slightly when I forced myself to look into the other's black eyes.

"Hmm." He nodded his head to me and then smiled, the action making my breath freeze in my throat. He had such a dazzling smile. His teeth were _perfect_. Straight, white and . . . just perfect. But all too suddenly, he turned away, looking up at Jaraiya and then pointing to the glass between my hands. "I'll have what he's having." He told the Old Man, flashing both of us that bright smile.

By then, Jaraiya had noticed my strange actions and was watching me curiously with his old, black eyes. He had his long white hair pulled back in a loose ponytail to prevent getting it in any guests drink and such. "You sure you're old enough to be in a bar?" Jaraiya asked the new arrival as he prepared his chosen drink. I looked up to the black haired man at hearing the Old Man's question. Come to think of it, the new guy didn't look much older than me. And I wasn't of legal drinking age yet.

But the taller man only laughed and reached behind himself into his back pocket, returning with his wallet. He fished around inside of it for a bit until he found his license and held it out to Jaraiya. "Yes Sir. I'm old enough." He said, grinning.

The Old Man leaned forward a bit, peering at the offered license and then nodded his head. "Ah, so you are. Then what's the point of coming to a bar, son, if not to drink a beer?" He asked, chuckling as he slid the root beer float towards the (apparently) older man next to me.

The man payed for the drink and took a long sip of it from the straw. "Well, I have what you could call an allergy to alchohol." He said, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he admitted the last part.

Jaraiya laughed once, long and loud, and startled me from my gazing up at the older man. "Oh, I see. You're a lightweight." He chuckled and then held out his hand to me, gesturing to the now empty glass I was holding. I hadn't even noticed that I had finished it all off and was now chewing on the straw. "Geez, if you're hungry, Brat, go get something to eat." He muttered to me in a joking manner. It was something that we shared together. I called him Old Man and he called me a Brat. It was all fair.

"I-I'm fine." I said, not knowing what to do with myself now that my hands were empty. I decided to place them in my lap before I changed my mind and tried to smooth out my unruly red hair. Looking sideways, I saw the older man still sipping quietly on the root beer float, eyes to the window. I wasn't sure why I felt such a strange need to talk to this person all of a sudden. Really, he didn't seem like the type of guy that I would go for at all. He just seemed to come from a whole different background.

I had never _wanted_ anyone before. I only gave myself to allow people what _they_ wanted, but I had never had a desire for someone so strongly before. Or ever, for that matter. I suddenly realized that I had a bit of a . . . crush? . . . on this person. That revalation made me more than shocked. This had never happened before . . . What was going on with me all of a sudden? It was just too wierd! But . . . I decided to give in to my wants and try and get this guy to myself. I cleared my throat before I turned to face him in my bar stool, reaching out and tapping his shoulder.

He stopped drinking out of his straw and looked over his shoulder. Upon seeing me watching him, he turned in his chair as well and smiled just slightly. "Yes?" He asked. His soft voice and the way he smiled made my heart melt, but I ignored that and concentrated on what I was doing.

I had gotten practice with this before. I would watch myself in the mirror and practice making faces, decided which ones were what my coustomers would consider 'sexy' and which ones would just freak them out. I smiled at him, slyly, and looked up from beneath my eyelashes. "Hey." I started in as soft a voice as I could manage. I didn't know why I suddenly felt shy, but I did. I never got shy. I was a pro at making cute/sexy/mysterious faces and coming up with what to say, but right now, the stranger was watching me with deep onyx orbs, waiting for what I wanted with him. "What's your name?" Oh Lord, why was I beating around the bush?

He blinked at the way I was acting, his eyebrows meeting together on his forehead in a conused manner, before he chuckled and held out a hand to me. "Lee. My name is Rock Lee. What's your name?"

I just stared at the offered appendage as if I didn't know what to do with it. I did, of course, but I just wasn't used to people being polite to me. Slowly, after I had remembered my manners, I gripped his hand with mine (Finding out that his hand was twice as big as mine in the process!) and gave it a firm shake. "Gaara." I said, smiling up at him. After my hand was released, I let it fall down to his knee where I left it. I leant in a bit, getting a better view of his face and allowing my hand more access to his leg. I gave his knee a squeeze as I watched his eyes. "So, Lee. This is your first time here. You want me to show you a good time?"

The poor man nearly choked.

I had offered myself to many other men before and I had gotten different reactions from all of them. Most of which were eagerness. But Lee's reaction was drastically different and it made me suddenly very self conscious.

"Good time?" Lee chuckled nervously, rubbing his nose with his thumb as if trying to swipe away the blush that had invaded his face. "Are you trying to get me in bed?" He stated the obvious, but his words made my face go red as well. The way he had said it . . . He said it and reminded me of just how dirty my job was. It was improper and wrong. But he didn't know why I did what I did! He had no right to judge.

"Of course, Silly." I forced myself to say, batting my eyes just a bit. My cheeks were burning and I was sure that I was blushing horribly. I could only imagine how a blush would stand out on my pale cheeks and the thought made me cringe.

"Thanks . . . But no thanks." And then Lee turned back to his drink, the redness on his face fading slowly. He started to sip at the root beer float once more, not even looking back at me again.

"N-no? Oh . . . Okay . . ." I had never felt this before. No one had ever said 'no' to me before. It was all new and strange and horrible that I actually felt tears building up behind my eyes. Why didn't he want me? Nearly every man that came into our bar wanted me! Why was he any different? Was there something wrong with me? Did he just not find me attractive? The questions swirled around in my head, making my temples throb. Finally, I rose from my seat and turned my back to Lee, storming away in a rage. "F-fine!" I yelled childishly, pounding up the stairs until I made it to the top floor.

I knew that I was embarrassing not only myself but the Old Man too, but at that moment I really didn't care. The only person that I had found attractive was the only one who didn't like me. It was all so weird and annoying and heartbreaking at the same time, that I just needed some alone time. No more coustomers for the night.

I made sure to slam the door extra loudly after I had found my room, hoping that Lee felt as bad about upsetting me as I did.

**Sonstone: Aw, poor Gaa-chan. Don't you just want to hug him? This is a really nice project to work on. I hope my luck stays up so that I can finish this up! Wish me well on the upcoming chapters!**

**P.S. Who here loves the title of this chapter?! XD**


	3. Something awkward

**The Bad Place**

**A story by Songstone**

**Songstone: Whoopie! This is so much fun! I never would have thought that I would enjoy writing this story so much, but I really do! It's so cool. XD And thank you to everyone who is sticking around to read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Chapter 3: Something awkward**

As soon as I had slammed my door shut and the noise echoed down the hallway, I regretted the action. I felt my face flush what I assumed to be a bright red in color and turned away from the door after fumbling a bit with the lock and eventually giving up on getting it right.

I had never felt so degraded and humiliated before in my whole entire life! The shame was making me feel sick to my stomach and I just wanted to crawl up under my covers and never come out. No one had ever said 'no' to me before. No one had ever refused me at all! Why him? Why didn't he like me? And why, oh _why_ did I care so much about this one man? This made no sense! I could care less about what happened to my customers!

All of these new emotions (Hurt, anger, sadness, embarrassment.) were making my head hurt, so I decided to just leave it be. I crossed the room and quickly tossed some clean sheets over my bare mattress before I flopped myself down onto the bed.

_Just let it go, Gaara. Just let it go._

It was easier said than done, let me tell you! My mind kept replaying what had just happened over and over. I saw Lee's face, how shocked and disgusted he looked when I asked him . . . I shook my head, yanking a blanket over my head to try and maybe hide myself from the world. I wasn't sure if it worked or not, but after what felt like an eternity, a loud knocking on my bedroom door called me from my realm of self pity.

"Go away, Old Man, I'm not coming out!" I wrapped my arms around my pillow and squeezed it closer to myself, pressing my nose and mouth against the fabric roughly. I knew that I sounded childish, but I couldn't help myself. I wasn't in the mood for a 'cheering up' and I didn't want to talk about what had just happened. But the knocking on my door didn't stop. In fact, it got louder. "Go away!" Usually when I said for Jaraiya to leave, he left. And without any arguments or questions about if I was all right or not, but whoever was on the opposite side of my bedroom door continued to knock roughly.

Now becoming a bit annoyed, I slowly pushed myself up and turned around, facing the door. I gripped the blankets in my hands tightly, watching the door suspicisously. I ignored the stining pain in my eyes, forcing back the tears with all of my will power and cleared my throat. "Who's there?" My voice came out a bit shakier than I had intended, but at least I had forced out the two words without letting out a sob.

But, before I got an answer to my question, the door came crashing in and I jumped, scrambling back against the wall behind my bed. I hugged my knees close to my chest and watched the invader with wide eyes. I knew this man. His name was Ebisu, if I remembered correctly. He was a tall, lanky man with brown eyes and hair. Not that good looking but not entirely ugly either. Average. He worked as a teacher for a bunch of grade schoolers. Boy, if only the school council could see him now; Stumbling around, drunk as a skunk, hiccupping and slurring his words. They would fire him on the spot!

"Mm, you!" He mumbled, jabbing a finger at me. He nearly tripped as he advanced towards my bed and ended up spilling his beer all over the floor and the front of his shirt. He cursed upon seeing the mess but then promptly turned his attention back to me. An odd sort of smile worked its way over his lips and I groaned loudly, hopping up from bed.

"Get out. I'm through for the night." I said, stepping up to him and grabbing his arm, trying meekly to turn him around and push him out of my room. But Ebisu was so much bigger than I was, so he easily shoved me back, causing me to sprawl back on the bed. "Hey! Look, you! Get out of my--" I stopped in mid sentence, my throat suddenly seizing up on me as I saw what Ebisu was pulling out of his back pocket. Was that . . . a_knife_? It was a rather small knife, but a weapon nonetheless. It could kill if need be . . .

"C'mere. I'ma make you feel goooood." The older man hiccupped before he started to cackle, letting his beer fall from his hands as he moved towards me again, falling ontop of me and knocking the wind out of my lungs. Thankfully, he hadn't opened the knife yet, but I still got startled when the cool metal touched the side of my face.

Before I could help myself, I was screaming. Loud enough for the people downstairs (And surely the people walking the streets.) to hear. Normally, I would have been embarrassed by how I sounded just then; I was kicking and thrashing under the weight of the older man and I was shrieking like a woman. But at that moment, I couldn't care less about how I sounded. I just wanted this man _gone_. "Get off! Get off!" I let loose another high pitched wail, pounding my clenched fists against Ebisu's chest.

That seemed to anger him, and he raised his hand with the knife, fumbling with it and obviously trying to get it open. "Shut up you little--" Suddenly, his face twisted in confusion and all I saw was a blur of colors before I could breathe again, his heavy body lifted off of mine and pressed against the wall by some kind of unseen entity. I blinked up in surprise before I reacted, leaping up from my bed on shaky legs and trying to make a run for it.

I crashed into something, or someone, however, and was sent falling onto my backside. I could practically hear my own heart pounding in my chest and was having great difficulty catching my breath, but I forced myself up to my feet again to try and run out of the room. But I soon found that plan foiled when a pair of arm wrapped around me and pulled me to the far side of the room.

"Hey, calm down kid. I gotcha." I looked up at the familiar voice and saw the Old Man watching me with cold, yet worried, eyes. He had one hand around my shoulders, keeping me close to his chest, and his other hand on my head. Oh, was I ever glad to see him! I instantly wrapped my arms around his waist and hid my face in his chest, my shoulders shaking as I let out dry sobs. I wasn't going to start crying now. I had to be strong. But I had been so scared . . .

Something occurred to me as I was leaning against Jaraiya, trying to calm my rapid heartbeat. I could hear Ebisu's drunken ramble as he spoke to someone, saying that he didn't mean to scare me and that he didn't do anything bad . . . I forced my burning eyes open and looked up at the Old Man, finding him looking over my head at something else entirely. Slowly, not yet removing myself from the safe haven of the Old Man's arms, I turned my head to see what had become of the older man who had just tried to hurt me.

I felt my own eyes suddenly go wide when I saw who was pinning Ebisu to the opposite wall. Rock Lee had the older man pinned against the wall by the collar of his shirt and was currently taking the pocket knife out of Ebisu's hand, tossing it to the side. "Yeah, you didn't mean anything. That's why you needed the knife, huh?" His voice was low and dark as he spoke, his black eyes narrowed to slits. Before Ebisu could slur out an explanation, Lee had spun him around and was pushing him out of my room. "Go home and sober up, you stinkin' drunkard." He spat, giving my attacker an extra shove that actually sent him sprawling. But instead of becoming enraged and attacking Lee like I thought he would have, Ebisu only scrambled to his feet and made a mad dash downstairs and out the door, as the ringing bell suggested.

I was speechless. I was also suddenly very embarrassed. Had I really needed to scream like that? Maybe if I had just complied then Ebisu would have put the knife away . . . My own rationalizations didn't make sense so I stopped trying to make myself feel better. I continued to shiver under the Old Man's hold, but once Lee turned around to face us, I steadied myself and gently pulled away. I cleared my throat awkwardly and tried to smooth my hair down since I knew it must have been sticking up in all directions.

"Hey, are you all right? You look awful shook up . . ." Lee leaned his head down towards me, looking at me with large, concerned, black eyes. It was then that I realized how much of a height difference there was between Lee and myself. Then again, I was barely five feet tall, so almost everyone was taller than I was. But Lee . . . He must have been at least six-foot-something to be as tall as he was! He was even taller than Jaraiya, and he was a rather nice height.

"I-I . . . I'm . . . You, he . . . Guh . . . Uhm . . ." I realized that I sounded drunk, myself, the way I was stuttering. I cleared my throat once before I settled on a simple nod up at Lee. I couldn't make eye contact, though. Afraid that my eyes would give away too much. I couldn't let him see how much his words had affected me. They had actually made me want to cry.

Heck, I still felt like crying over them.

"Whoa, easy. Deep breaths. Take a seat and relax. We got you." Lee motioned to Jaraiya and the Old Man moved me towards my bed, gently settling me to sit on the edge. Lee moved back, giving me room to breathe, and stood beside Jaraiya, talking in whispers about what had just happened. Finally, after a few moments, the ebony haired man looked back to me and smiled. I felt my heart seize up and mentally slapped myself.

_Don't get too interested in this guy! He doesn't like you! _

Those words hurt, even when I had said them in my own mind, but I tried to ignore that as I managed a small, very weak twitch at the corner of my mouth that was supposed to be a smile. "Thank you . . . for . . . Yeah, just . . . thank you." I brought my legs up to my chest and hugged them close, resting my chin on my knees. It was a form of comfort for me, since I felt so ashamed and weak at the moment. I just needed some protection from the two people watching me.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Glad you're okay. Er . . . Gaara, was it?" Lee asked, extending a hand to me. His smile faltered a bit when I didn't reach back to shake his hand, but he brushed that off and stood straight. "Anyway, how about we start over? My name is Rock Lee, and I'm going to be working here as your Band, Singer and, apparently, part-time Super Hero." He smiled and chuckled while I just gaped up at him in shock.

I probably looked like I was going to pass out since that was exactly what I felt like doing.

**Songstone: Hazzah! Thus comes the plot! XD I'm sorry. I'm high off of something right now. I feel so loopy and happy and WHEEE! XD I'm losing it, people. Sorry about that. Anyway, please just R&R and tell me what you thought. Thanks!**


	4. Melody

**The Bad Place**

**A stroy by Songstone**

**Songstone: YOSH! Chapter four! Woot! XD I hope that you all are enjoying this story so far. I'm having so much fun.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter 4: Melody**

Well, here we go. The plot line of the story has finally come into play. Whoopdie doo. (Sarcasm.)

Basically, I was in denile when Lee told me he would be working along side of me. When he left the bar later on that night, I sat down with the Old Man and he explained that he and Lee had started to talk after I had stormed upstairs. "Like a spoiled Brat who didn't get the candy he wanted", as he had so lovingly put it. Lee had mentioned something and the Jaraiya had agreed . . . something like that. I'm not even sure of the details. All I knew was that Lee was going to be working with me.

"Well this is just great! Can't you just fire him? Get someone else? Please, Old Man?" I was following him around the bar all day and into the evening, tugging on his ponytail and begging him to let Lee go before he had even performed one time.

"Hey, knock it off you Brat! I said that Lee was going to work here, so he is! Stop whining about it!" The Old Man finally snapped at me, rolling his eyes when I continued to pester him. "Why do you want him gone so badly anyway? He was the first one upstairs when he heard you screaming." He said, making a gesture for me to sit at the bar as he set down a glass of chocolate milk for me to drink. You would think that since I lived in a bar that I would get all the booze I wanted, but oh no! The Old Man insisted that I wait until I was of legal age before I had my first taste of alcohol. So until I turned twenty-one (Which was a year away.) I was stuck with drinking apple juice out of shot glasses.

But what the Old Man said made me stop my complaining, if for a moment, to think it over. Why had Lee been the first person to jump into action? What did he care? It wasn't any of his business! But another part of me was grateful, pleased, and most of all . . . flattered. I shook those thoughts away as I took a long gulp of the sweet beverage. "I don't care! I don't like him! We're perfectly fine with just us! I'm more than enough to bring in customers, aren't I?" In a way, I was offended at the thought of Lee stealing the spotlight. I was used to everyone coming into the bar to see me and if Lee was going to be singing his lungs out, then people would pay more attention to him! It was a very silly and childish thought, I know, but it was how I felt. I was threatened by that man with the coal colored eyes.

"Gaara, you know I don't like what you're doing. If Lee brings in more customers, then you can stop and get a real job." The Old Man smiled at me and I sighed, not having the heart to tell him that there was no way a simple musician would attract more people than I would. "Just give him a chance. You guys are only a year apart . . . He's really the only kid around your age that comes here. I think that you two would get along nicely if you would stop being such a Brat about it. Change can be good, Gaara." He reached over the counter to pat my head and I sighed, slowly nodding. There was no way that I was going to get into an argument with the Old Man. I just didn't have the energy.

- - -

My day went by just like it usually did. I helped clean the bar and prepare it for nighttime, had an early dinner with the Old Man, and then went upstairs to strip my bed free from my sheets and blankets.

It was a habit of mine. I hated the thought of sleeping on the same sheets that I would lie down on when I was with a customer, so I always made sure my bed was bare before I would 'service' anyone. It was when I was neatly folding and putting away my bed sheets that I heard the bell over the door ring from downstairs. I glanced at the clock on the far wall and tilted my head. It was barely turning seven o' clock. We didn't start to get customers until at least ten thirty or eleven.

Curiously, I finished my self imposed chore and walked down the stairs, pausing before I reached the bottom. I saw Lee standing in the doorway, speaking with Jaraiya and laughing about something. I looked him over with my eyes. He looked about the same, actually. He had old, faded blue jeans covering his legs and a green, short sleeved shirt over his shoulders. The only thing that was the same about his outfit were his shoes. They were the same, worn and ratty ones that he had shown up in the day before. I saw, as I was finishing my inspection, that he had brought along a guitar. He had it slung over his shoulder and was carrying it around like it barely weighed a pound, though I was sure that it must have been pretty heavy.

Slowly, cautiously, I finished descending the stairs and stepped out into plain view in the middle of the bar, still eying Lee up and down. I had really taken a dislike to that man. He had said no to me . . . He had hurt me. Actually _hurt_ me. I never got so worked up over one person, so whatever it was about this guy that had caused me to react in such a strong way couldn't have been good. "Hey." I said nonchalantly, nodding my head a bit at the taller man.

"Hey! Nice to see you again, Gaara! I'm really excited about this. This is my first _real_ singing job. I hope that I won't mess up. I can get sort of nervous and when I get nervous I start to stutter. It's really embarrassing. I used to stutter all the time as a kid. I would always get picked on for it. Oh! Will there be a lot of people? This is a rather large bar . . . Is it always filled with people? How many, approximately? Like, a lot? You think that I'll mess up? I hope I won't! Not on my first day! Please wish me luck! I want my first day to be a good one!"

_Good Lord, this man must have had a good set of lungs if he can talk so much in one breath . . . _

He didn't seem to be showing any signs of stopping, even when he was stringing his guitar in his lap, adjusting the strings and plugging it into the amplafier that he had also toted along. I was actually amazed. Surprised that someone was talking so much, so loudly, so carefree . . . To _me_. Never had anyone besides the Old Man said so much to me before. I might not have been talking much, but I was actually enjoying myself listening to his voice drone on and on, grow loud and excited and then drop back down to a normal octive. It was quite amusing.

"You have an 'off' switch on your neck or something?" I asked when Lee stopped blabbering and was stringing his guitar.

Lee looked up at me, a bit surprised at my question, but when he had determined that I was joking, he laughed once, long and loud, before he shook his head. "Sadly, I don't. Am I getting on your nerves?" He peeked up at me from beneath his bangs while he continued to gently pluck each string with the pick he held. But the smile on his lips showed me that he was amused with my question.

"Only a little." I replied honestly, leaning back in the chair I was seated in and lying my head down on the table. Lee laughed again, the sound almost like a symphony to me. It was so melodic and . . . I closed my eyes, forcing myself not to think about all of the good things about the man in front of me and concentrate only on the bad. He hurt me. He actually_ignored_ me.

"You like country music?" Lee started to fiddle around with his guitar again, his eyes down at his work rather than me, for once.

"I don't listen to music." I told him blandly, letting loose a yawn and bringing my arms up to use as a pillow while I rested my head against the hard wood of the table.

"Can you sing?"

I opened my eyes and looked over at the older man, giving him a very annoyed look. "If I don't like music, what makes you think that I can sing?" I asked him, raising an invisible brow at him. Really, didn't this guy have a brain to think with?

"Well, you don't have to like music to have a good voice. They are two different things completely." Lee insisted, smiling at me again. He didn't give me a chance to tell him how dumb that sounded, instead starting to play a tune on his instrument.

Instantly, I shut my mouth from saying anything rude and just listened to what he was playing. It had a nice little sound to it, actually. He was rather good with the guitar. My eyes fixed themselves on Lee's hands and fingers, seeing how they moved and how he would pluck the right key to make a really lovely tune. Then, after a while of light music, Lee cleared his throat and, to my surprise, started to sing.

I had never heard anything like it in my life. His voice, which was deep and playful when he spoke, had suddenly grown soft to match the gentle music he was making. I looked up at his face, seeing his eyes closed and his eyebrows met together as he concentrated on the words he was forming. Soon enough, I was doing the same; Sitting upright in my chair and leaning forward to pay careful attention to what Lee's song was about.

"_Roses are red, dear. Violets are blue. Angels in Heaven . . . know I love you._

"_Know I love you, dear. Know I love you. Angels in Heaven . . . know I love you._

"_Roses are red, dear. Violets are blue. Sugar is sweet, my dear. But not as sweet as you._

"_Oh, sugar is sweet, my dear. Good luck! May God bless you._"

He echoed the last line a few times, his voice in harmony with the music. The tune was so soft and wonderful, it was almost hypnotic. But, once his song had ended, Lee stopped playing the music, letting the last note fade away slowly into the atmosphere. When all was silent, he opened his eyes again and let out a shaky breath, smiling to himself for a job well done.

Just as I was about to congratulate him on a really beautiful performance, I heard clapping coming from directly behind my chair. Both Lee and I jumped and I whipped my head around to see who was making the noise. I shouldn't have been surprised to see the Old Man standing over me, a wide grin pulled across his face as he smacked his hands together roughly in applause.

"Wonderful, wonderful job, Son! That was a great show!" He laughed and then stopped his noise, moving his hands to remain crossed over his chest. "The customers will probably start coming in soon, so if you could maybe sing that song again . . ."

"Oh! Thank you Sir! Yes, of course I'll sing that song again! But I do have others. I'm really pleased that you liked it! Thank you so much!" Lee was beaming up at the Old Man, grinning from ear to ear at the compliments he had just gotten. Finally, after a long moment of shared words, Lee looked back down at me and leaned forward in his chair eagerly, his eyes shining with happiness. "What did you think, Gaara? Half of my audience liked the song. I want to know what the other half thinks!"

I had to admit, having Lee around was good for my attitude. He was so bouncy and happy all the time that it kind of rubbed off on me. I was smiling at him, if just a little, and nodding my head slowly. "Yes, yes. It was a nice performance. Let's see if you can keep it up." I said, never one to just give a compliment without some hint of pessimism. It was in my nature, I suppose. But Lee really did bring some humor to the bar, I had to say. He was entertaining to watch.

"Right! I'll try my best!" And with that, Lee actually saluted me, his eyes still bright with excitement, but his face stony. As if I were really a superior officer or something. Seeing that (his face, completely straight and serious.), I couldn't help myself and I slowly began to do something that I really hadn't done in too long of a while.

I began to laugh.

**Songstone: Awwww. I just love Lee's song here. The first two verse's are the same ones that my mother sang to me when I was little, so they've always stuck in my mind. The last two I sort of meshed together with a song by Bobby Vinton. XD Anyway, this is getting interesting. And OMG, it's so fun to actually write in someone's POV instead of author's POV! XD R&R please and maybe I'll finish the rest of this story!! **


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